Jacquard strip



JACQUARD STRIP Filed April 28, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @1 @MyW @D/EZ@ Mly 5, J. LAWSON y JACQUARD STRIP Filed April 28, 1923 Sheets-Shee'vl 2 Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED, STATES JACQUARD STRIP John Lawson, Pawtucket, R. I., assigner to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 28, 1928, Serial N0. 273,555

1 Claim.

This invention relates tojacquard or like strips. While my invention may in certain cases be used in other relations, it is particularly adapted for use in connection with knitting machines for 5 controlling the pattern of the fabric.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein l Fig. 1 is a view in horizontal section taken through a jacquard drum and certain parts acted upon thereby, certain of the parts being shown in plan and partly broken away; A

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the jacquard drum l shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken through said drum; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of vone of the jacquard strips to which my invention is more particularly directed.

In certain applications in which I appear as a joint inventor, there is disclosed a jacquard mechanism for controlling the patterning in knitted fabrics, particularly hosiery. In one of said applications, namely, Serial No. 177,262, led March 22, 1927, there is disclosed an upright jacquard drum having throughout its entire periphery lengthwise extending slots in each of which a jacquard strip is adapted to be positioned, each such strip being individual to a wale of the fabric. 'Ihey are preferably in number equal to the needles, and in any event bear a denite relation to the number of needles. The said drum is rotated and also moved axially and in the said 35 movements thereof the said jacquard strips control certain instrumentalities which in turn .control the pattern or stitch variation. While the invention is not limited to the employment or use of such mechanism for controlling plating and reverse plating, an important use of the said invention was for controlling the knitting of two threads fed in a plating relation in such manner that either normal or reverse plating might occur. The present invention pertains to the jacquard strip itself and to the manner of making the same.

I am aware that heretofore, as, for example, in the patent to Lomax, No. 1,236,189, jacks have been employed either attached to knitting nee- 50 dles or adapted to act thereon, and that such jacks have been provided with a plurality of butts. So far as I am aware, however, it is new in the art to provide a strip of relatively great length having a relatively large number of projections thereon, Which projections or the absence thereof, cause the functioning of parts in Vknitting, the said vstrips being readily replaceable by others having a different number or arrangement of projections, so that the pattern Vcan be quickly changed. Y

The strip of my invention'iinds an important use in the production of aplated fabric, parts whereof are normallyV plated and other parts whereof are reversely plated. AIn the use of the said strips, as herein disclosed, the Vsaid strips 16 act through jack-like instrumentalities upon special sinkers, as disclosed in the said application in which I appear as a joint inventor, but obviously within the scopev of my invention, the said strips might control the deflection of needles at l5 the thread receiving end thereof, so asto effect plating or reverse plating through needle deflection. Without limiting the use of my invention in'any way, I will proceed-to describe the best form thereof known to me and one manner of '20 using the same.

In Figs. l, 2 and 3, I have represented at I a so-called jacquard drum which' may for purposesof explanation be assumed to be the same as orsimilar to that shownin the said joint ap- 25 plication. The said drum is in operation rotated and moved axially". Each increment of the axial movement may be of such short extent as to constitute merely a movement suicient for controlling the stitches in each succeeding course of a knitted fabric, such, for example, as a stocking, or, according to the dictates of a pattern chain or member, the increments of axial' movements of the drum may be irregular and of varying length.

The said drum l is provided throughout its entire periphery with a series of lengthwise extending slots 2, wherein are positioned the jacquard strips 3 of my invention, and which will be hereinafter further described. The projection upon the said strips 3 act, in accordance with the 40 disclosure in said application, Serial No. 177,262, upon a series of jacks or jack-like members 4 which are mounted for in and out movement upon a disk generally indicated at 5, and which is provided with cam paths wherein said jack-like members 4 move according to the control or selection thereof by the jacquard strips 3.

The said jack-like members 4 in turn control the sliding or radial movements of special instrumentalities or sinkers 6 which are arranged 50 in substantially radial slots 'l in a sinker or like ring or carrying member 8, and which is arranged co-axially with the needles, as will be well understood by reference to said co-pending application.

In the disclosed. embodiment of the invention,

each strip 3 is provided with substantially fortyeight projections 9, and the two extreme ends I and II of the strip are rectangular and are engaged by cap piecesy I2, I3, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and which when in position overlie the ends I0, I I Vof the jacquard stripsso as to retain them firmly in position in their respective grooves,

but from which they can be very quickly removed when it is desired to change the pattern. In one use of my invention, an entire set of jacquard strips is positioned in lengthwise extending slots upon a board or tray. A number of trays are provided so that any desired number of patterns may be prepared, each tray containing the strips properly arranged for one pattern. The strips may be quickly taken from any tray in the proper order and placed in the slots 2 of the jacquard Y drum I and confined in position therein, whereupon the knitting mechanism is operated in usual manner Vso that theV stocking or other knitted article is made in accordance with Vthe said pat.- tern. Each strip 3 is of metal, such as steel, and is formed with preferably a large number of projections 9, shown in Fig. 4 as forty-eight in number. The presence of a projection 9 means that said projection will act upon a jack-like member 4 shown in Fig. 1 and move the same inward so that it will in turn determine the ra- Ydial position of a special instrumentality or sinker 6. ,'I'hus, the presence or absence of projections'9 controls the pattern.

The simplest and most convenient wayof providing a large number of strips 3 is to make them all identical, that is, all with the same number of projections 9 placed close together, each separated from the next by a slot I4. Then, accord- Ving to the pattern desired, I break or cut away stood that in the disclosed construction each projection 9 represents one course in the knitting, but this may be varied as desired without departing from the principle of my invention.

I may, if desired, and sometimes do, originally prepare the strips with the desired projections omitted therefrom in accordance with the pattern to be made.

I may and sometimes do prepare or make orig- Y Y kept in different boxes or compartments for selection as desired in making up the pattern. I prefer, however, to form all the strips initially alike and then to place or assemble them each in its ownslot in a board, tray or receiving element, and then cut or otherwise sever or remove therefrom the projection or projections not needed according to the pattern.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that each of the strips 3 is individual to awale or bears some definite relation to the numberY of wales, that. is, to the number of needles. For example, in the disclosed embodi` ment of the invention,'eachstrip corresponds -to l or controls the pattern or stitch variation intwo next adjacent wales. 'Ihis is because each of the jack-like members 4 acts upon two next Vadjacent special instrumentalities or sinkers in the sinker ring or he ad. If desired, in other uses of my invention, each strip 3 may be individuallto a single Wale. Desirably each strip 3 is of suflcient length to control the pattern or stitch Va'-A riation for a relatively large number of courses.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention and the best mode known to me for practising the method of my invention, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense, and not forvpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claim.

I claim: A jack-like element for use in knitting ma-Y chines comprising a relatively thin metallic strip having a plurality of readily removable butts projecting from one edge thereof the opposite edge of the said strip being straight, the strip at each end having a rectangular extension projecting beyond all the butts and at right angles thereto,

the projecting ends serving as a means for attachment to a support. c

JOHN LAWSON. 

